To put a tumble dryer on my credit card?

[Lemononachair]

I have a credit card which I got about 18 months ago as a way to try and build up my credit rating again. It was meant to be only for emergencies and/or large purchases that I couldn't afford outright in one go. I have terrible credit as a result of my exH leaving me in debt and with CCJ's (which will hopefully be discharged next year!) so I can't get much in the way of other credit. Unfortunately lockdown and furlough have left me in financial difficulty and I've been having to use the credit card more and more lately, it's not maxed out but I'm using more than half of my available limit and getting close to the limit of what I can afford to pay off every month.

I live in a single glazed property with no central heating - I have one gas fire in the living room and that's it. I'm finding that now it's getting much colder and wetter it's getting really hard to dry my clothes when they get washed and especially now I'm back at work I need to wash things regularly. My work clothes get filthy and need to be cleaned thoroughly. At the moment I'm drying them on a clothes horse in front of the fire but they are still taking 2 days to fully dry and smell damp and musty by the end 😞

Wibu to use my credit card to buy a tumble dryer? Really can't see a way to manage the whole of autumn/winter without one 😭

If you can pay it off in short order, it would be a sensible use of the card as it's better than your clothes being ruined and your home and possessions getting damp and mouldy. They warm a room up nicely when they're on, too.

And much safer than drying clothes in front of a fire.

Give the washing a second spin after every wash to help dry quicker and maybe a heated airer? Cheaper than a tumble dryer.

Buying a dehumidifier might be more cost effective?

Do it but have a plan to pay it off and try to pay above the minimum on the cc each month. Can you eBay/marketplace some stuff?

I second a heated airer. I would not put anything more on the credit card, you're already perilously close to affording to pay it off monthly.

I feel for you, OP. A thought - our local Pride cleaners (they've got a concession in our Morrisons) do a quick Service Wash - anything similar near you?

YANBU. A tumble condenser dryer would be just what you need. Since your clothes smell musty, you shouldn’t try a heated airier without a dehumidifier because all the moisture will be trapped in your home and cause damp. The cost of heated airer plus dehumidifier is roughly the same as a cheap condenser tumble dryer, so you might as well just get a dryer. You don’t need a big one since it’s just you, a beko 6kg one would work great.

You'd need a condenser or you'll just add to the damp and probably get mould to contend with (likely with any place with just a gas fire). Vented ones aren't that much cheaper and cause so many problems.

£200 from AO right now.

Can you afford that? Ten weeks at £20 a week?

You will have to completely cut back on other spending, as if you're using the credit card for normal day to day spending, it will be a disaster for you financially.

I don't like tumble dryers; feel that they wreck clothes, everything gets 2 extra spins in the washing machine and hung up. My friend swears by a heated air dryer.

Don't forget to budget for extra electricity use. They're a very useful appliance but they chew through power.

If you’re considering a heated airer, then you can get reconditioned ones from the Lakeland eBay store for quite a bit less than the price of a new one: www.ebay.co.uk/str/lakeland

They’re much more gentle on clothes and efficient now.
This £199 one costs £77 per YEAR in electric costs. They all have redesigned drums and moisture sensors so they don’t slam the clothes around or overheat them.
ao.com/product/dtlce70051w-beko-condenser-tumble-dryer-white-76378-18.aspx

Heated airer for £95, says it costs from 3p an hour to run...
www.dunelm.com/product/3-tier-heated-airer-1000077081

Or one for £40, which costs from 3.5p an hour to run...
www.dunelm.com/product/heated-airer-with-wings-1000054172

I do spin the washing on the longest, fastest setting already, some stuff comes out fine but it's the heavy stuff like towels, beddings and my work clothes that stay wet for aaaaages. I have to rotate the washing on the clothes horse as wherever it's laying over it just doesn't dry. It's a bloody pain in the bum! 😂

I have a dehumidifier which I've borrowed off the landlord but tbh it's not very effective and is expensive to run. I think a tumble dryer on for 2hrs maximum would be cheaper and actually get stuff dry rather than having a dehumidifier on for 8hrs which doesn't really do much.

It's awkward because I'm in the middle of nowhere at least a 20 minute drive from the nearest place like a laundrette and I don't drive a car so couldn't get the washing there anyway.

Fortunately now I'm back at work I can afford to pay off a bit more per month. It's only been while in lockdown I've had to pay the minimum each month as I haven't had anything spare. I haven't missed a payment on bills or anything else in almost 6yrs so I'm paying it off just very very slowly! I'm really trying to be more responsible with money but I feel this is a real necessity. I use to have all this sort of stuff, white goods, furniture etc but lost it all in the break up with my ex 😞 Had to start again from scratch!

Is there a laundrette nearby? They have massive dryers that are really quick and inexpensive.

Sounds like an emergency purchase to me. I have the Beko condenser linked above, it's really good and well worth the money.

I would do it. It is going to improve your life so much. How do you cope somewhere with no central heating? That sounds really tough.

Could you look on Facebook market place, you can pick up some really good 2nd hand White good.

Does one of these do the trick? www.lakeland.co.uk/around-the-home/household-electricals/electric-dryers-and-airers/

I do spin the washing on the longest, fastest setting already, some stuff comes out fine but it's the heavy stuff like towels, beddings and my work clothes that stay wet for aaaaages

Try putting heavy stuff like towels and bedding on for two extra spin cycles. My bedding and towels are still sopping wet after the initial spin cycle, even though it's on the highest setting (doesn't have a setting for the time on my washing machine). They'd never dry if I hung them out without at least one extra spin.

Even if you do end up buying a tumble dryer it will make it much quicker/cheaper to dry them after they've been spun a couple of extra times.

We use a heated airer from Dunelm that cost £40 and has been going for about 4 years now. I find if you don't overload it and lay clothes flat on top they work very quickly. I would attach a picture but for some reason Mumsnet does not let me post something if I have a picture attachment 🙄
Glad to hear your financial situation is getting better OP, it's rubbish worrying about every penny!

Tumble dryers are expensive to run, if you are already struggling it’s an awful idea. Heated airers are fabulous- dunelm sell a cheaper smaller version of the Lakeland one!

Have a look for a second hand one on Fb selling.

I have looked on marketplace, there are some ok ones but most people are selling broken ones that need repairing or need you to collect them which I can't do 😞 I'm keeping an eye out for anything good though!

@ButtWormHole it is annoying but I make do. I have a dressing gown, several pairs of really warm fluffy socks & pyjamas and a sofa duvet 😂 I've bought a separate small fan heater for the bedroom as its so far away from the living room it gets freezing in there, I moved in at the beginning of the year and it was so cold I could see my breath inside my bedroom. It's about the same temperature inside as outside if you don't have the fire on.

My 1st thought was, you wanted to put your credit card under a tumble dryer